I don't know where to put this, but I kinda need to get it off my chest.

A few months ago, after like 10+ years buying "nice mid range phones" (Nexus 5, a couple OnePlus, A52S and maybe 1 other I forget) I decided to splurge and go for a S26 because my carrier had a decent payment plan for it and ...

Fuck this is so good. It's not even a "flagship flagship" cause I can't stand the size (and price) of "true flagship" phones but I have never been "content" to use a phone as much as this one. I thought I'd get bored after a couple weeks as I usually do about my phones. But not this time.

Build just feels nice, screen feels nice, looks cool, form factor is perfection, fingerprint sensor is so good even with a screen protector on.

I'm not even a power user, just an average "geek-ish" schmuk (huge pc nerd, not for any other hardware / geek thing) that use social media, snap pics of his dog, browse reddit and use Discord on his phone.
I don't even do work related shit on it and it's still worth it.

I have always been a "flagship hater" and a chinese / google brand mid range hype man.
But using my GF's S25+ regularly made me realise her shit was much nicer than mine (at the time) and I was like, it feels so smooth and great to use. Especially things like her fingerprint sensor unlocking so much "better" than my previous phone. My old phone wasn't "bad" per se, just... inferior, and I never realised how cool it was to have a banger phone before getting to use one regularly.
I don't think I'll go back to a mid range phone later on.

So, if some people are hesitating, if you've got a few hundreds to burn, try it once. Maybe you'll realise you like so much more than you usual average phone.

Ok tear me a new one now Reddit. lol

P.s: I circled a long time before going for the S26 because in my country, the 5G bands of chinese phone aren't always good, and I was afraid of some feedbacks about "great hardware - mid software" and I didn't want a disappointing software.

Apologies for the rant. I'm whining to you from a brand new XPS Googlebook that I really wanted to be excited for. I'm writing for any future me's (android enthusiasts hoping this is a platform that can do ~75% of my computing) that are thinking about picking one up.

I was super hyped when I imagined a laptop that could run all my Android apps plus Debian Linux for any apps where Android fell short on the desktop equivalent. Full desktop Firefox, GIMP, cyber security tools, development! And why wouldn't it be, ChromeOS has Crostini and Android 16 added tons of folders to be shared with Linux a year ago!

Big nope fam.

• Android apps still not optimized well, even the ones that ARE listed as optimized. This was not surprising and isn't that big of a deal.
• Android widgets also not optimized well. This was surprising because widgets on the desktop was an announcement feature but something as simple as the Google Calendar widget is almost at an unreadable resolution and no amount of resizing fixes this.
• Excited to run those non-optimized apps as PWA's straight from the web knowing the website works fine? Well you cant. Google has adopted a TWA model, which means if you want a PWA it has to be distributed through the PlayStore by the domain owner. Which no one will ever do because this is just a completely unethical way of trying to take website earnings and making them subject to the Google PlayStore 30% cut nonsense. So no PWAs at all. Great. This is probably going to be a pretty big problem, because PWAs are the primary method normies have for overcoming non-optimized apps, and Google has created a huge financial barrier to anyone thinking about launching one, nevermind that *it's just a website and the user should be able to save it on their own without making the developer commit to extra steps.*
• The new linux terminal? As far as I can tell it has zero access to any of the shared directories added to /mnt/shared in Android 16. That means no Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc access. If you have a great linux tool to do something you have to open terminal, then copy the files you want to work on into the linux VM space, then take em back out when you're done.
• Lets talk about those linux tools. If said tool runs in a gui you can get it to launch in a 1996 looking workspace with window 3.11 looking support. It's unusable for anything not CLI. You also can't pin an app from here to your desktop or drawer. You can't believe how bad gui linux is natively on $1000 android hardware.
• Suppose you use Breadstick. Big props btw to the team that maintains this as a way to get real linux apps running on Android/Aluminum. This CAN see the shared folders because it's deployed as a regular app that can request permissions. Meaning out of the box Breadstick is far better than Google's deployment of Debian.
• Breadstick can also launch GUI apps, and they look as good as they do natively with no 1996 era containering. And they can be pinned to the desktop or app drawer. You can get real desktop Firefox (a massive improvement over the Android version) and downloads go where they are supposed to. You can get real desktop GIMP and LibreOffice and edit photos and documents that live in DCIM, Pictures and Documents like you expect.
• And yet, the problem with this approach is the jank. Android's strict process limits mean you are never going to be able to run ublock origin plus open billion tabs in Firefox unless you hook up the Googlebook to an ADB device and remove those limits, which creates stability and security risks and leaves any normie who just wants to use a good non-Google Chrome browser out of luck.
• Apps run this way aren't going to be able to make normal permissions calls, like sharing your location so the movie theater web search is your area or sharing your mic or camera to take that web call when the webapp version of Teams/Zoom/whatever is better than their not-optimized-for-desktop Android app offering. And while maybe you can work around this by suffering through those apps or moving over to Chrome as a browser, there's still plenty of non-browser tools that might want permissions that can't request them from inside the box.
• Some growing pains - things you think you would be able to scroll on fast swiping your trackpad or zoom by pinching your trackpad don't work (editing documents, terminal). Zoom was very inconsistent and scrolling stops the minute your fingers leave the pad in some apps. Can't multi select. Drag and drop is drag and pray.

If out of the gate, Google Chrome is our only desktop class browser and PWA's are never going to materialize because of the PlayStore barriers and Linux apps are never going to plug existing gaps until Android catches up because of permission and virtualization barriers... what are we doing here? With millions of dollars from Google to Mozilla every year is Chrome really the only Desktop browser Aluminum can run?

The hardware is great minus a lack of LTE/5G options. Nice work Dell. The setup from Pixel to XPS was snazzy. Fast pair works. Messages come in seamlessly. Even custom launchers like Nova worked well for improving the interface.

If you live in Google Chrome, love Android and can't think of a reason why you would ever need a command line tool or a linux app or a PWA on your thousand dollar macbook air level PC, than this machine is probably awesome. If you prefer any other browser, expected to do lightweight technical work or light coding or install some apps that cover what Android can't right now, wait until Google gets their act together.

This is not an android equivalent macbook air competitor for anything other than watching netflix and checking email. A chromebook is more capable.

EDIT: this took a few days to get approved for the Android sub and in that time some things had changed here: * There are shared directories from the Linux terminal but you have to get to a special settings page to enable them * Google has announced they are working on Linux app pinning * Google has walked back the ban on PWA installs

With MKBHD’s recent breakdown of the new GoogleBooks, one glaring issue immediately stood out: the hardware is fantastic (sub-2 lbs, great OLED panels, killer battery life, 16–32 GB RAM), but the software ecosystem is an absolute desert when it comes to true desktop-class creative work. Paying $1,000+ for a machine only to be met with mobile apps or “better on the website” badges is a tough sell against a MacBook Air.

At the exact same time, we're seeing Brandon Thomas and the Artcraft project reverse-engineering/rebuilding the core Adobe suite (Photocraft, Vectorcraft, Designcraft, Filmcraft) in Rust and AI, making them open-source (MIT/Apache), free, and already expanding into Office and CAD tools.

Here’s the thought: What if these modern, open-source desktop suites were compiled and packaged directly for GooglebookOS?

It solves Google’s biggest handicap: Creative professionals, students, and prosumers avoid Googlebooks because there are no real alternatives to Photoshop, InDesign, or Premiere Pro. Having native, offline-capable, desktop-grade creative and office tools out of the box would instantly legitimize the platform.

It democratizes creative hardware: Instead of being trapped in Adobe’s €70+/month subscription model and predatory cancellation fees, users would get capable, open-source creative power on sleek, low-overhead hardware.

The architecture is already aligned: Artcraft is built in Rust with native and web targets, and Googlebooks run on modern x86/ARM silicon with ample RAM and storage.

If Google wants GooglebookOS to be taken seriously as a third computing pillar alongside macOS and Windows, relying on blown-up Play Store phone apps won't cut it. Bringing open-source creative powerhouses natively to GooglebookOS could be a genuine game changer.

Do you see developers actually targeting GooglebookOS with full-size open-source suites, or will Googlebooks remain relegated to glorified web-browsing and basic productivity? Would native tools like Photocraft make you consider one as a daily driver?

We’ve seen headphone jacks, microSD card slots, and physical alert sliders slowly disappear over the years. At the same time, companies keep trying to replace physical features with software or AI alternatives.

If you were buying a new phone today, what is the single hardware feature or design element that is an absolute dealbreaker for you if it's missing?

This is something that has frustrated me about Android for a long time.

Imagine receiving 20 photos or documents in a Telegram or WhatsApp conversation.

You select all 20 files because you want to share them with someone using another app.

But here's the problem:

✅ Select ONE file → Share option available.

❌ Select MULTIPLE files → Share option disappears completely.

Instead of transferring the files directly, you're forced to save them locally and then upload them again through the destination app.

Why should something so simple require so many extra steps?

Android already supports multi-file sharing through ACTION_SEND_MULTIPLE, yet this functionality isn't consistently available inside messaging applications.

I've submitted an official feature request to Google's Android Issue Tracker asking for a more consistent cross-app sharing experience.

🔗 Official Google Issue Tracker:

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/572154293

If you've faced this problem, please consider starring the issue and sharing your experience.

I'd also love to hear from Android developers whether this requires changes to Android itself or to individual messaging apps.

Multi-file sharing between apps should be effortless in 2026.

One thing I think people often overlook when discussing Android phones is that a phone doesn't suddenly become obsolete just because it stops receiving software updates. In fact, you can continue using many Android phones comfortably for years after official software support ends, especially when it comes to apps.

One major reason for this is that Android apps often support older versions of the operating system for much longer than their iOS counterparts.

For example, the ICICI Bank mobile banking app supports Android 10 and above, while its iOS version requires iOS 17 or later. This means someone with an older Android phone running Android 10 might still be able to use the banking app, even if their phone no longer receives security patches or Android version upgrades.

This applies to many other apps, too. Messaging apps, social media apps, shopping apps, streaming services, and various others can continue receiving app updates long (some even support Android 5 🤣) after a phone's manufacturer has stopped providing operating system updates.

In practical terms, you could potentially continue receiving app updates for another 4–5 years after your Android phone stops receiving official software updates, depending on the device, the apps you use, and their minimum OS requirements.

Of course, there are some important caveats:

1. App compatibility varies, and developers can eventually drop support for older Android versions.

2. Not receiving security patches still matters, particularly for banking, payments, and other sensitive activities.

3. Some newer features may require a newer Android version, even if the app itself still works.

Still, I think this is an underrated advantage of Android's app compatibility. An older phone can remain useful for everyday tasks much longer than its official software support period might suggest.

What do you think? Do you believe Android phones generally have a longer practical lifespan because apps continue supporting older versions of the OS, or do you think the lack of security updates makes this advantage less meaningful?

I have an s25 ultra and use Firefox with a number of extensions including ublock, decentraleyes, dark reader, BitWarden, etc. Firefox has always been the number one app draining my battery by a large margin. After doing a deep dive on battery consumption per Firefox extension, I found out that Dark Reader in particular was a huge contributor to this drain because the app dynamically recalculates the CSS of every webpage element to invert colors in real-time. After switching to a much more efficient extension called UltimaDark, Firefox is consuming nearly 40% less power. I had no idea a single extension could eat up so much power.

See: https://support.google.com/googlebook/answer/17389679

Can we hope to see Android custom ROMs like LineageOS running on these Googlebook PCs?

AOSP Android already has a desktop mode, so I don't think it would be too difficult to port a AOSP Generic System Image onto these Googlebooks (i.e. the ARM based ones with Snapdragon X Elite)

Gemini as the Google Assistant is a disaster. I have spent hours trying to make Gemini work as the Google Assistant for simple things. Couple of examples: Gemini was getting my location wrong for weather forecast (was eventually resolved for my home location but would still be questionable if traveling); Wouldn't unlock the lock screen to respond to simple queries like "Hey Google, what's the weather" and "Hey Google, good morning". Switched back to Google Assistant and everything resumed working correctly.

Hey everyone, just curious what the split is like here.

I’ve been using a phone with a fast fingerprint scanner for a long time, but a lot of newer devices are putting a massive emphasis on upgrading their biometric Face Unlock setups to work better in pitch-black low light.

If your phone has both options available, which one do you actually find yourself using more throughout a normal day? Do you prefer the instant speed of face unlock or the reliable muscle memory of a fingerprint sensor?